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Letter backs removal of Wolfe special prosecutor

by APposted Oct 24 2012 5:40PM

RICHMOND, Va. (AP) - Fifty-nine former judges, prosecutors and other attorneys have sent a Prince William County judge a letter advocating the removal of the special prosecutor in a high-profile murder-for-hire case.

A federal appeals court earlier this year upheld a judge's decision to toss out Justin Wolfe's conviction and death sentence in the slaying of his marijuana supplier because of prosecutorial misconduct. Those prosecutors relinquished the case to Fairfax County Commonwealth's Attorney Raymond Morrogh, who said he would retry it.

The letter-writers say Morrogh's retrial decision less than 24 hours after his appointment as special prosecutor suggests he failed to conduct a meaningful, independent review. The letter was filed Wednesday along with court papers by Wolfe's attorneys accusing Morrogh of collaborating with the disqualified prosecutors.